Construction Update

Construction has begun on our new home. To date, the sub-floor, walls, plumbing, insulation and heat vents have been built. Keep checking for more updates.

The Carousel

On Friday February 5, Susan took off work early to help me run some errands. It is very unusual for her to get home early on a Friday evening. Like most cities, restaurants in Yakima fill up early on Fridays so we very rarely eat out on Friday. We took advantage of this opportunity and went to The Carousel in downtown Yakima. Susan and I are continuing our quest to go to every restaurant in town and I had not been to this restaurant that offers French Cuisine. Susan ordered Pork Tenderloins with Shitake mushrooms while I tried the Crab-stuffed Salmon fillet. The food was good and we splurged and had dessert - Cherries Jubilee that they made right in front of us. We had a very nice evening.

Mom's Coyote

Ceramics is not what it use to be. Mom has been experimenting with new techniques in ceramics while in Arizona this winter. She made this coyote using a process called Horse Hair. The greenware is put in the kiln and when it is done, horse hair is placed on the item while it is still very hot. After the item cools, the excess horse hair is scraped off and the item is wiped with a wet sponge. Wiping the cooked hair leaves a smokey effect. To finish, a clear glaze is put over the entire piece. It is not only interesting, but very beautiful.

Animal Therapy

In addition to all the support Susan has provided over the last month, my 'therapy animals' do a great deal every day to lift my spirits. While Toby doesn't like to cuddle he stays close by. Susan gave me Christmas Bear while I was in the hospital and I smile every time I look at him. Tillie lies down on top of me most of the day. I am a lucky person to have all this love and support.

The Wedding Singer

My first outing after surgery, other than to doctor's appointments, was to go see The Wedding Singer at the Capitol Theatre last weekend. This musical is the first of the Broadway 2010 season in Yakima. Susan and I both enjoyed the performance, and the cast received a standing ovation. There were some powerful singers in the group, which always makes a performance more enjoyable.

There is something to be said for good pain medication and a lot of ice to cure cabin fever.

It's Official

Even though we signed the papers a few months ago, the sale of a home is not final everything successfully passes through the financial system. My sale of my house closed on December 31, 2009 and the money has transferred. My attempted to transfer the picture from the MLS to our blog didn't work especially well, but you can still make out the SOLD in red. Oh Happy Day! We can't begin to describe what a relief it is to have finally sold this house. We will be placing the order for our new house this week. YIPPEE!

Christmas Dinner

We usually post our culinary adventures in the sidebar but Susan made such a fantastic Christmas dinner that I wanted to share more of the story with you. Our schedule over the holidays has been a little odd. I am recovering from surgery so I sleep most of the time and Susan has been struggling with a cold. As a result, we did not have Christmas dinner until December 27. Susan made a Shrimp Bisque that could stand up to anything served at a local restaurant. The rest of the meal consisted of Rosemary Apricot Pork Tenderloin, Carrot Celery Root Puree and Spiced Stone Fruit Chutney. This meal was so good that it is hard to describe it with mere words. We are going to make homemade ice cream for dessert over the next week using the ice cream maker that Susan gave me for Christmas.

Santa was very generous this year. We received gift cards to some of our favorite restaurants and spending money. Below is a picture of stepping stones that I gave to Susan to honor the furry members of our family.

These are going to look great at our new place. Speaking of houses, we are still waiting for word that the sale of my house has closed.

Winter Storm Warning

We had our first significant snowfall of the year last night. I stepped out the front door this morning to take these pictures. More snow is expected throughout the day. It is so beautiful!

We have not been posting a lot lately, but it has not been for a lack of things to write about. The sale of my house in Renton is moving forward. I had the distribution box for the septic system replaced in order to pass the inspection required in King County to sell homes with septic systems. Allied Van Lines moved the contents of the house to storage, somewhere on the west side, last Friday. The sale is scheduled to close on December 31, but we are actually hoping it might close a little early.

Things are also moving ahead on our property. We posted pictures of the power trench, which passed the inspection process. The trench is covered now and all the neighbors sprinkler pipes are repaired. When we were in the process of selecting flooring for our new house, we learned that the hardwood and tile we selected did not match up in height so we needed to change to a different brand of hardwood. There are so many things to consider when you are starting from scratch; for example, have you ever given any thought to how you get a mailbox? We finished selecting the outside colors and the color of the roofing material. The next step is to actually place the order for our house. YEA!

If houses, the property and Christmas wasn't enough, we have also been dealing with the after-effects of a robbery - what a bummer. On a lighter note, we went to the Nutcracker last weekend at the Capitol Theatre and had a wonderful time. The dying mouse scene was hilarious. After the ballet we went to the Olive Garden for dinner and then went to see the luminary lights at the Arboretum. What a fun evening. Our latest culinary adventures include a Lemon Chiffon Pie, squash risotto, and Linzer cookies. Susan's hand has healed up nicely from carpal tunnel surgery so she can get the other hand done in the near future.

I hope all of you and your family members have a wonderful holiday season.

Playing with the camera

I was playing with my camera earlier this week. Tillie is sitting in my lap and Toby was directly in front of my chair. They both seemed extremely curious about what I was doing so I snapped their pictures. They are both so cute!

Christmas Cactus

Mom - Thanks for leaving your Christmas Cactus with us when you left for Arizona. As you can see, it is doing very well. I took these pictures this morning so you could see the beautiful pink and white flowers. The other plants in the kitchen look sad by comparison.

Tillie is doing just fine after her surgery. She and Toby are back playing and running around the yard.